Artist Statement

The first thing that I did to aid in the finishing of my J-term project from last year was to put a protective sealant over the top of the table to seal it and keep any unwanted materials from ruining my art piece. I then moved to my main focus of the table base. The base of my table went through many different phases until I came up with one that was suitable for my taste and original desings. I needed something sturdy so that my table would hold. My original idea was to just reattach the legs that it originally came with but the holes for the screws were stripped. I then decided that I wanted the base to flow better with the table top and should therefore resemble a tree trunk. I went searching for scrap materials that I could use because I did not need very much. I managed to find three pieces of plywood that were left over from a recent physics project. Each piece was a different width and height, but as I looked at them and losely assembled them next to each other I really like the triangle design that I was getting. I enjoyed it most because it gave each face a different look and wa not a square which was the main thing I was trying to stay away from. Once I measured and cut my three pieces of plywood I started assembeling them in my triangle shape. However before I finished my assembly I ran into the problem of a triangle not coming to sufficient meeting points for screws to hold the base pieces together. From there I had to try a new idea. I began looking around the house for other wood pieces. I found an old planting box and decided to manipulate and change it to look more like a tree trunk. In my looking I also found some small, square, dowels that I was able to use as branches coming out of the “tree trunk.” In order to attach those, I had to use a hand saw to cut them to the lengths that I wanted. After they were cut and positioned the the staple gun was used by my father to secure them onto the planter box. When all the dowels were attached to my liking I took some tan spray paint and went over the base to give it texture and different colors. During all of this I took notes and pictures on my process of attaching the pieces together.

Gathering Materials

I looked for different pieces of wood and pre-made structures to see what I could use to support my table top. I tried plywood, but couldn't figure out how to make it all fit toghether.

Then I found an old plant stand and decided to manipulate and change it a bit to look more like a tree trunk, but still hold the table top. I used a saw, a staple gun, and the help of my dad to assemble the base.

Once I was finished with that I found some tan spray paint to give it some different colors and texture to the wood. Because no tree has even smooth surfaces.

The Beginning

I began this project knowing that I wanted and needed to build a base for my table top, that I had created last year for a school core project.